She was denied a 1991 election verdict to rule, and in the interregnum survived an assassination attempt in 2003. The U.S. eased the remaining restrictions in 2016 after democratic elections were held.

The NLD leader had earlier termed the whole process an instance of sham democracy.

When pressed at a Tuesday news conference if Japan supported or would emphasize the kind of stance that the United States had expressed, including the possibility of sanctions, the government's top spokesman sidestepped a direct answer, repeating an earlier statement that Japan would keep in close contact with other nations and monitor the situation in Myanmar.

"It was clear that the military were going to look for some legal cases against the leaders of the National League for Democracy and especially Aung San Suu Kyi to actually legitimize what they've tried to do", said Larry Jagan, an independent analyst of Myanmar affairs.

China's foreign ministry noted the "fraternal" relationship as State Councillor Wang Yi met last month in Myanmar's capital with the military chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, making him one of the last foreign dignitaries to visit before the coup.

On the coup's second day there was widespread fear. But Sharon Bell, a researcher who previously studied the health system in Myanmar, said she doesn't anticipate the military will have the ability to control outbreaks or conduct sufficient vaccination programs. It claimed that at least 8.6 million irregularities were found in voter lists.

The NLD won more than 80 percent of the vote: increasing its support from the 2015 elections.

The contesting positions are symptoms of a deeper institutional malaise.

For its part, Myanmar has lingering suspicion of China's links with some militia forces that operate on the Myanmar side of their common border, and historically, Myanmar nationalists have viewed their huge neighbour with wariness. The military nominates 30 percent of the members of parliament.

Britain, the chair of the online council meeting, hoped to issue a statement to the media condemning the coup and calling for the release of detained Myanmar leaders.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that additional sanctions are warranted following the military takeover in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. On Monday, generals detained Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, who are now under house arrest. Military legislators hit back immediately. She had always been, she argued, a politician.

Doctors and medical staff in dozens of hospitals across the country are stopping work in protest against the coup and to push for Ms Suu Kyi's release. And for some, those questions are only sharper at a time when USA -led pro-democracy initiatives face increasingly aggressive competition from the authoritarian models promoted by powers like China and Russian Federation. He even addressed the European Union Military Committee in Belgium in November 2017.

Western countries have called on the Burmese military to stand down, and have threatened sanctions.

Tatmadaw returned to its shell and the default strategy of relying on its neighbor China internationally, including at various U.N. Security Council platforms, was resurrected. Political reforms enabled Nay Pyi Taw to reduce that dependence, but as worldwide opprobrium mounted over the Rakhine crisis, China continued to defend Myanmar against human rights criticisms at the United Nations while pouring investment into the country and supporting the peace process with ethnic armed groups.

On Tuesday, the US State Department formally designated the takeover as a coup, meaning the US can not assist Myanmar's government.

The military declared a one-year emergency rule after the overthrow.

The music unwittingly goes with the Myanmar military coup.

Min Aung Hliang is a major investor in Myanma Economic Holdings PLC, a conglomerate set up by the military in 1990 that has major joint projects with Chinese corporations, including the Letpadaung copper mine.

A diplomat with China's United Nations mission said after a council meeting on Tuesday that they were "shocked" that reporters had already seen the draft council statement, adding that "this will make the process of seeking consensus even more hard".

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